Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Samara

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,007 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Samara
Learn more

Samara Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Samara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Samara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,007 in Samara, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Samara $2,007

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,528 in Samara, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Samara $3,528

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,050 in Samara, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Samara $5,050

Playa del Carmen is about 40% cheaper than Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Samara is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$10.84 ₡4,864

-0.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$62.2 ₡27.9K

-30.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$11.71 ₡5,250

0.68%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$4.38 ₡1,965

-11.64%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.72 ₡1,218

-49.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.90 ₡851

-55.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.27 ₡1,464

-5.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.56 ₡2,043

11.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.36 ₡1,056

-38.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$3.14 ₡1,407

-28.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.40 ₡1,075

-38.75%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.47 ₡1,556

-27.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$10.73 ₡4,812

-31.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$10.58 ₡4,746

-25.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.85 ₡4,864

17.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$5.02 ₡2,252

-42.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.57 ₡705

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$4.80 ₡2,153

-46.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.85 ₡1,728

-46.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$3.85 ₡1,728

-48.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$3.61 ₡1,618

-44.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.08 ₡483

10.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$3.22 ₡1,445

-60.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$5.40 ₡2,423

-18.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$19.51 ₡8,752

-50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.80 ₡1,254

-43.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.36 ₡1,056

19.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.37 ₡613

-58.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.40 ₡1,078

107.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.55 ₡693

125.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$8.46 ₡3,793

-36.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.49 ₡668

-1.34%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$22.2K ₡10.0M

-5.55%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.75%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.2 MX$1,556

$93.7 ₡42.0K

-10.12%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.99 MX$443

$36.05 ₡16.2K

-33.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$58.2 ₡26.1K

-50.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$72.9 ₡32.7K

-13.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.53 ₡3,376

-34.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$204 MX$3,763

$497 ₡223.0K

-59.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,064 ₡2.7M

-35.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$65.2 ₡29.2K

-33.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$55.5 ₡24.9K

-22.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$131 ₡58.6K

-42.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$134 ₡60.2K

-34.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,393 ₡624.9K

-27.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$935 ₡419.2K

-59.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$3,664 ₡1.6M

-53.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$2,613 ₡1.2M

-57.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$5,004 ₡2.2M

-21.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.62

32.83%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Samara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Samara

$935 46.6% 150% $561

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Samara

$389 19.4% 50.3% $130

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Samara

$218 10.9% 8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Samara

$188 9.4% 36.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Samara

$174 8.7% 53.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Samara

$88 4.4% 20.8% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Samara

$16 * 0.8% 70.3% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,393 in Samara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $62.0 in Samara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $389 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇷 Samara

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

23:25 11:25 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,071

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Samara 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Samara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Samara is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,010 in Samara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $2,007 in Samara. That's a gap of about 66%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $497 in Samara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Samara at $2,007. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Samara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Samara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.